Tag Archives: Josh Thole

When David Wright was injured during spring training, manager Terry Collins said if he opened the season on the disabled list that Daniel Murphy would stay at second base.

MURPHY: Makes sparkling play Monday

Now, with Wright seemingly headed to the DL (the move should be made Friday), Collins seems to be sticking by those words as Murphy is still at second for this afternoon’s game against Washington.

Murphy is a natural third baseman, but his position is second base as long as Wright is here and moving him won’t help him learn the position. Murphy botched a double-play grounder last night, but the night before made a nice play behind the bag.

Murphy is not a strong defensive player, but learning the position will take some time. He’s not going to master it quickly, and he certainly won’t do so by moving around.

Collins made a point of saying Murphy and Lucas Duda would remain at their positions despite being stronger elsewhere, and let’s hope he sticks by his word.

The Mets finally received good news on the injury front as relievers Frank Francisco and Tim Byrdak, and center fielder Andres Torres are all expected to be at Citi Field instead of the disabled list on Opening Day.

Francisco took a cortisone injection to his sore left knee Sunday, and after throwing off the mound this morning pronounced himself ready.

Byrdak underwent left knee surgery March 13 and is scheduled to pitch today against the Yankees.

Andres Torres sustained a strained left calf March 20 and was in the starting lineup today.

Relievers Pedro Beato (shoulder) and D.J. Carrasco (ankle) will be on the disabled list to start the season.

Today’s lineup, with the exception of pitcher Mike Pelfrey, is the projected starting lineup for Opening Day.

Traditionally, winning teams are built for strength up the middle: catcher, pitching, second base and shortstop, and center field.

That’s not looking good so far for the Mets, especially with center fielder Andres Torres sidelined with a strained calf muscle.

With minor league prospect Kirk Nieuwenhuis suffering with a strained oblique, manager Terry Collins will experiment with infielder Jordany Valdespin and Jason Bay in center. I can see Bay, but Valdespin is total desperation and an indictment on the Mets’ lack of depth and foresight to bolster the position.

Second base is a concern because of Daniel Murphy’s lack of experience at the position. He’s awkward around the bag and doesn’t have consistent footwork. Meanwhile, there’s no doubt about Ruben Tejada’s defensive prowess at shortstop, but there is the matter of playing a full season.

As for the pitching, both the rotation and bullpen are deep with questions and concerns. This isn’t a strikeout staff and still walks more hitters than it should. As for the bullpen, it is patchwork with no proven lefty.

Josh Thole came up with a lot of potential, especially at the plate. He’s still relatively new at the plate and it shows with his ability to call a game and block pitches. He is still far away from being proven.

GM Sandy Alderson said yesterday’s positive financial developments will release some of the pressure on the team, but as expected, basically said “don’t expect too much,’’ in the near future.

“So having moved beyond that now, I think we as a franchise have a chance to go through sort of an evolutionary process to get us back to where we want to be,’’ Alderson said. “The immediate impact on our payroll is going to be negligible.’’

Currently, the biggest drain on the Mets’ payroll is Johan Santana, who earned $22.5 million last year while on the disabled list, and is scheduled to make $24 million this year and $25.5 million in 2013 and has a $25 million option for 2014.

That salary makes it impossible to deal Santana, so the Mets’ best hope is for continued progress in his rehab from shoulder surgery.

So far, so good.

Santana is ready to start tomorrow against St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla. The target is 80 pitches.

Santana is coming off a 65-pitch outing against the Tigers in which he gave up four earned runs. The start was encouraging because Santana’s velocity increased to a consistent 89 mph. and topped out at 91 mph.

Barring complications, Santana is on track to make the Opening Day roster.